Rotatable grommet

ABSTRACT

A rotatable grommet for opening or closing access to a panel opening. The rotatable grommet is a C-shaped grommet having a grommet opening approximately the same size as the access area of a panel opening. The rotatable grommet includes a post that engages an arched slot formed in the panel. The ends of the arched slot define the open and closed positions for the rotatable grommet. The rotatable grommet includes a handle having handle protrusions that ease rotation of the rotatable grommet. At least one latch establishes friction between the rotatable grommet and the panel opening so that the rotatable grommet will not be inadvertently opened or closed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/652,908, filed May 23, 1996 now pending, entitled "RackMountable Cable Distribution Enclosure."

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to cable distribution enclosures and inparticular to a cable distribution center that has a high cable densityand provides easy access to cable adapters.

2. Prior Art

After cable is brought into a building for use in transmitting signalsfor telephone (voice), cable (video), or computers (data), those signalsmust be distributed throughout the building to typically each desk thatrequires access to the information being transmitted. To facilitate thatdistribution, an enclosure is typically utilized to house and manage thedispersal of the fiber. In many cases, as many as 72 fibers aredistributed within a single enclosure and several of these enclosuresare attached to a rack. In larger systems, a room full of these racksserves as a central hub from which thousands of fibers are distributed.Due to the increasing need for more and more fibers, space has become anissue; hence the need for enclosures with the ability to effectivelydistribute a higher fiber count within basically the same volume hasarisen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies of the priorart are overcome or alleviated by the rack mountable cable distributionenclosure of the invention. The cable distribution enclosure provides ahigh-density fiber solution for terminating up to 144 fibers, all withina 4 RMS space on a 19" or 23" rack. The enclosure is made from highgrade steel and both front and rear access doors are durable smokedpolycarbonate. These front and rear doors utilize releasable hinges thatcan therefore be removed by activating the hinge release mechanism.Also, both of these doors are lockable by way of customer-suppliedlocks. Fiber entry is made available at both sides, at the front andrear of enclosure, and conveniently-located cable tie anchor points areprovided for securing incoming cables.

A sliding tray facilitates front and rear adapter access via a uniquesystem of push-pull latches and brackets. The fibers are connectedthrough the use of snap-in adapter plates. Each adapter plate is capableof accommodating up to (6) duplex adapters (2 ports per adapter) suchthat, with all (12) plates installed, the fiber count=6×2×12=144. The 4and 6-port adapter plates include molded-in icon pockets to assist incolor coding and port identification. The mounting surface of theadapter plate is angled so as to minimize fiber bend radius and to alsoreduce the potential of eye damage by minimizing the chance of lookingstraight into the activated fibers while working around the cabledistribution enclosure. These adapter plates are reversible to thusenable angling fiber cable to either the left or right.

The cable distribution enclosure provides an effective system fordistributing and managing up to 144 fibers within the same rack spacethat is normally utilized for a maximum of 72 fibers. There areadditional features designed into the cable distribution enclosurewhich, when compared to other 72-port enclosures, facilitate theinstallation of the fiber, improve upon management of the fibers, and/orreduce the manufacturing cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alikein the several Figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cable distribution enclosure withthe front cover open;

FIG. 2 is side plan view of the cable distribution enclosure with thefront cover open;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cable distribution enclosure withthe front cover closed;

FIG. 4A is side view of the cable distribution enclosure with the frontcover closed;

FIG. 4B is a side view of a portion of the cable distribution enclosure;

FIGS. 5A-5E are various views of a grommet;

FIGS. 6A-6C are various views of a sliding tray;

FIGS. 7A-7C are various views of a label holder panel;

FIGS. 8A-8C are various views of the adapter plate bracket;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the adapter plate bracketlatching mechanism;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the adapter plate bracket latchingmechanism;

FIGS. 11A-11E are various views of the adapter plate;

FIGS. 12-20 are various views of a rotatable grommet;

FIGS. 21 and 22 are exploded views of the rotatable grommet abovedifferent panels;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the rotatable grommet in a cabledistribution enclosure in an open position; and

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the rotatable grommet in a cabledistribution enclosure in a closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cable distribution enclosure, showngenerally at 10. A front door 12 is in the open position. The front door12 is mounted to the body of the cable distribution enclosure byreleasable hinge 14. The releasable hinge 14 allows the front door 12 tobe removed entirely during service but prevents the front door 12 frombeing inadvertently removed. The hinge 14 includes a built in springmechanism that may be defeated to release the hinge 14 from the frontdoor 12. A back door (not shown) is provided opposite the front door 12with a similar defeatable hinge. A slot 16 is formed in the front door12 which receives a hasp 18 provided on the top of the cabledistribution enclosure 10. A label holder panel 20 provides an area forholding a plurality of labels that provide information regarding thecables in the cable distribution enclosure 10. A plurality of openings22 are provided in the cable distribution enclosure 10 for allowingcables to enter and exit the cable distribution enclosure 10. Asmentioned above, the cable distribution enclosure 10 is used as adistribution center for large numbers of cables. A grommet 24 is placedwithin each opening 22 and is described in more detail below. The baseof the cable distribution enclosure 10 includes a sliding tray 26 whichcarries an adapter plate bracket 28. The adapter plate bracket 28receives a plurality of adapter plates. The details of these elementsare described below.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cable distribution enclosure 10 with thefront door 12 open. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear of the cabledistribution enclosure 10 includes a hasp 18 allowing the back door (notshown) to be locked. The use of lockable front and rear doors providesadded security at both ends of the cable distribution enclosure 10. Theuser needs only provide a standard padlock to secure the cabledistribution enclosure 10 and thus the cost of achieving a secureenclosure is minimal.

The opening 22 shown in FIG. 2 includes a circular region 30 and astraight region 32 which intersects the circular region at an arc of thecircular region 30. Cables are inserted into the opening through thestraight region 32 and placed into the circular region 30. The circularregion 30 is large enough to hold 144 fiber cables which is the maximumdensity of the cable distribution enclosure 10. The grommet 24 protectsthe cables from the metal edges of the circular opening 30 and isdescribed in further detail below.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cable distribution enclosure 10 withthe front door 12 closed. As is shown, the hasp 18 extends beyond thefront door 12 to allow for locking the cable distribution enclosure 10.When not locked, the front door 12 is held in place through conventionalsnap latch type connectors 34 at each corner of the door. The back door(not shown) is similar to the front door 12. FIG. 4A is a side view ofthe closed cable distribution enclosure 10 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4B is aside view of the opening 22 without the grommet 24. A notch 44 is formedin the opening 22 for aligning the grommet 24.

FIG. 5A is a bottom view of the grommet 24. The grommet 24 has a lip 36that is placed on the outside of the circular opening 30. A wall 42extends away from the lip 36 at a right angle to the lip 36. Flexiblelatches 40 are provided on the wall 42 to allow the grommet 24 to besnapped into the circular opening 30. A protrusion 38 is aligned with anotch 44 shown in FIG. 4B formed in the circular opening 30. Thisprotrusion 38 aligns the opening in the grommet 24 with the straightopening 32. The grommet 24 is designed to be universal and fit into allopenings i.e. incoming and outgoing. Typically, cables enter theopenings 22 formed in the rear of the cable distribution enclosure 10and exit through the openings 22 in the front of the cable distributionenclosure 10. The grommet 24 is sized so as to accept 144 fiber opticcables. The depth of the wall 42 is limited so that extension of thewall 42 into the interior of the cable distribution enclosure 10 isminimized. The grommet 24 is also sized to accept a standard polymer capwhich plugs into the center of the grommet 24 for dust prevention. FIGS.5B-5E are assorted views of the grommet 24 and are self explanatory.

FIGS. 6A-6C are assorted views of the sliding tray 26 provided in thebottom of the cable distribution enclosure 10. As shown in the top viewin FIG. 6A, the sliding tray 26 includes a plurality of openings 48 forreceiving wire management clips 46 (shown partially in FIG. 4A). Towardsthe back of the sliding tray, a cable tie down 56 is formed in thesliding tray 26. As shown in FIG. 6B, the sliding tray 26 includes araised portion 58. The cable tie down 56 is formed through a pressingoperation at the raised portion 58. The pressing operation forms a bandof metal having an opening at the rear of the sliding tray 26. A cabletie can then be placed through the opening in the cable tie down 56. Theplacement of the cable tie down 56 in the center of the sliding tray 26allows the sliding tray 26 to pulled forward or backward withoutstressing the incoming cable attached at the cable tie down 56. Thecable tie down 56 retains the incoming cable out of the way of thecoiled slack fibers, and does not interfere with the sliding tray 26.

Towards the rear of the sliding tray 26, nearest the cable tie downopening 56, the openings 48 are arranged in circles. This allows slackcable entering from the rear of the cable distribution enclosure 10 tobe coiled in a circular fashion in the wire management clips 46 that areinserted in the openings 48. A pair of tabs 62 are providedsubstantially parallel to the base of the sliding tray 26. Theses tabs62 provide addition support for coiled cable. A series of holes 50 formounting an adapter plate bracket are provided near the center of thesliding tray 26. A second series of openings 48 are provided at thefront of the sliding tray 26 to hold additional wire management clips46. The wire management clips 46 at the front of the tray are used todistribute cables exiting the cable distribution enclosure 10. Two holes52 receive snap latch connectors that hold the label holder plate 20 tothe sliding tray 26.

A hole 54 is formed near the rear of the sliding tray 26 for mounting asplice tray. When fiber cables are joined, either by fusing ormechanical devices, the section where the two fibers are joined iscommonly placed in a splice tray. Typically, the splice tray is storedin a separate enclosure outside of the cable distribution enclosure.However, the cable distribution enclosure 10 of the present invention isdesigned so that the splice tray 60 may be attached to the sliding tray26 and interfere only with a minimum number of wire management clips 46.The outline of the splice tray is shown as dotted line 60. Thiseliminates the need for a separate enclosure to contain the splice tray.The hole 54 may have a plastic nut pressed therein. A threaded rod and awing nut may be used to mount the splice tray 60 to the sliding tray 26.FIG. 6C is a side view of the sliding tray 26.

FIGS. 7A-7C are assorted views of the label holder panel 20. The frontface 70 of the label holder panel receives transparent pockets that holdlabels that may be produced on a conventional printer. The transparentpockets (not shown) may be adhered to the label holder panel 20 throughany conventional means such as adhesive tape. The label holder panel 20includes two holes 68 (shown in FIG. 7B), which are aligned with holes52 in the sliding tray 26. A conventional snap latch connector couplesthe label holder panel 20 to the sliding tray 26. This allows the labelholder panel 20 to be removed during service of the cable distributionenclosure 10. The label holder panel 20 includes an upper lip 64 and alower lip 66. The lower lip 66 provides a base which is mounted to thesliding tray 26. The upper lip provides for cable management. In theevent that a large number of cables are exiting the front of the cabledistribution enclosure 10, it may be more convenient to place the wiresin the area formed by the upper lip 64, the face 70 and the lower lip66. This prevents the user from having to run a large number of cablesthrough the wire management clips 46 located in holes 48 near the frontof the sliding tray 26.

FIGS. 8A-8C are assorted views of the adapter plate bracket 28. Theadapter plate bracket 28 includes a plurality of interior recesses 72and an exterior notch 74. A hole 76 allows the adapter plate bracket 28to be connected to a latching mechanism described below. The interiorrecesses 72 receive adapter plates 92 described below. FIG. 8B is a viewof the bottom of the adapter plate bracket 28 which includes a pluralityof holes 78 that are aligned with holes 50 in the sliding tray 26. FIG.8C is a side view of the adapter plate bracket 28.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the latching mechanism used to allow thesliding tray 26 to be locked in the center of the cable distributionenclosure 10, pulled out the front or pulled out the back. As shown inFIG. 9, the latching mechanism includes an L bracket 80 having a hole 84and an intermediate bracket 82 having tabs 90, a first hole 86 and asecond hole 88. The L bracket 80 is permanently attached to the top ofthe cable distribution enclosure 10. The rear surface of the L bracket80 contacts the front surface of the intermediate bracket 82 and holes84 and 86 are aligned. A snap-latch connector is placed through holes 84and 86. The front surface of the intermediate bracket 82, below tabs 90,contacts the rear surface of adapter plate bracket 28. Holes 88 and 76are aligned and a snap latch connector is placed through holes 76 and88. The tabs 90 are positioned within the exterior notch 74. When bothsnap latches are engaged, the adapter plate bracket 28 is locked in acentral position within the cable distribution enclosure 10.

If the user desires to pull the sliding tray 26 forward, the snap latchin holes 76 and 88 is removed and the sliding tray 26 may then moveforward. The tabs 90 on the intermediate bracket 82 prevent theintermediate bracket 82 from rotating. When the sliding tray 26 isreturned to the center position, the snap-latch is placed back in holes76 and 88. To move the sliding tray 26 backwards, the snap-latch inholes 86 and 84 is removed. The sliding tray can then move towards therear of the cable distribution enclosure 10. The tabs 90 contact theexterior notch 74 and prevent the intermediate bracket 82 from rotating.

FIGS. 11A-11E are various views of an adapter plate 92 for use with theadapter plate bracket 28 shown in FIG. 8A. In the prior art, aconventional "six-pack" (six port adapter plate) is secured to a bracketin the enclosure by two snap-latch connectors. This requires that twoholes be drilled or punched in to the six port adapter plate at theproper diameter and location to enable the plates to be held by theinstaller in a position such that the snap latches, which arepreassembled in the plates at the factory, are aligned with holes formedin the bracket. Only then can the snap latches be pushed into place toretain the plates to the bracket. The drawback to the prior art is thatholes must be formed in the bracket and separate pieces, i.e. snaplatches, are needed to mount the plate to the bracket. The adapter plate92 shown in FIGS. 11A-11E overcomes these drawbacks.

The adapter plate 92 shown in FIG. 11A has a body portion 94 and latchportions 96. The latch portion 96 is a V shaped member having one endattached to the body portion 94. Towards the second end a groove 98 isformed adjacent to a ridge 100. A release tab 102 is formed at the endof the V shaped member that is not attached to the body portion. Theadapter plate 92 is attached to the adapter plate bracket 28 by placingthe grooves 98 in two of the interior recesses 72. The adapter plate 92is snapped into the interior recesses 72 in the adapter plate bracket 28by simply positioning the adapter plate 92 at the adapter plate bracket28 face and pushing the adapter plate forward until it snaps into placewithin the adapter plate bracket 28 opening. Three is no need to alignsnap latches with partially concealed holes or activate (push in)multiple snap latches as described in above in the conventional system.

The width of groove 98 is such that the adapter plate 92 fits within theinterior recesses 72 in the adapter plate bracket 28. The adapter platebracket 28 shown in FIG. 8A holds 12 adapter plates 92. To remove theadapter plate 92 from the adapter plate bracket 28, the user appliesforce on one or both of the release tabs 102. Force on either releasetab 102 towards the center of the adapter plate 92 allows the adapterplate 92 to be tilted away from and out of the adapter plate bracket 28.One may also defeat both latch portions 96 by gripping the two releasetabs 102 between two fingers and collapsing the release tabs 102 towardseach other. Either single or double release tab compression is easierthan de-activating (pull out) two snap latches. The adapter plate 92 isdesigned so that vertical motion along the major axis of the adapterplate 92 will not disengage the adapter plate 92 from the adapter platebracket 28. When servicing adapters mounted in the adapter plate 92, theadapter plate 92 is often moved up or down as the service personnel ishandling an adapter mounted in the adapter plate 92. A ridge 104 isformed under each latch portion 96. As the adapter plate 92 is moved upor down in the adapter plate bracket 28, the ridge 104 contacts thelatching portion at approximately the back of groove 98. This preventsthe adapter plate 92 from being moved a sufficient distance in thevertical axis to inadvertently disengage the adapter plate 92 from theadapter plate bracket 28.

The adapter plate 92 is also self locating in the horizontal directionwithin the adapter plate bracket 28. The interior recesses 72 formed inthe adapter plate bracket 28 receive the groove 98 formed in thelatching portion 96. The vertical edges of the interior recess 72prevents the adapter plate 92 from sliding to the left or right and thusaffirmatively locates the adapter plate 92 in the horizontal direction.

The adapter plate 92 has a mounting surface 106 having openings forreceiving adapters. The mounting surface 106 is at an angle relative tothe grooves 98. When the adapter plate 92 is mounted in the adapterplate bracket 28, the groove 98 is parallel to the front face of theadapter plate bracket 28. Thus, the mounting surface 106 is angledrelative to the face of the adapter plate bracket 28. This angleprovides several benefits. When one end of each of the fiber cables isconnected to the adapters mounted in the adapter plate 92, which ismounted to the adapter plate bracket 28, the cable is then routed intowire management retainers and out of exit openings 22 formed in thefront of the cable distribution enclosure 10. It is desirable to limitthe bend radius of the fiber cable to 1.2" minimum so as to maintainoptimized transmission of signals through the fiber core. The exitopenings 22 at the front of the cable distribution enclosure 10 are in aplane orthogonal to the adapter plate bracket 28. Thus, without anangled mounting surface 106, the fibers must change direction by 90degrees which could cause abrupt bends in the fiber. The angled mountingsurface 106 reduces the angle between the fibers exiting an adaptermounted to the adapter plate 92 and the exit openings 22 formed in thefront of the cable distribution enclosure 10. This reduces bending ofthe fibers and prevents damage to the fibers.

A second benefit of the angled mounting surface 106 is eye safety. Whena laser light source is utilized for signal transmission through thefiber core, it can be a safety hazard to look directly into the fiber.The angled mounting surface 106 directs the laser light away from theopening of the cable distribution enclosure 10 and thus reduces thelikelihood that one will look directly into the laser light beingemitted from the fiber mounted in the adapter plate 92.

The adapter plate 92 is also reversible in that it may be placed in theadapter plate bracket 28 in either vertical orientation. This allows theadapter plate 92 to be oriented to the left or the right depending uponthe angular relationship between the mounting surface 106 and theadapter plate bracket 28. If all the fibers must be routed to the leftfront opening 22 of the cable distribution enclosure 10, all the adapterplates 92 may be inserted with a left facing orientation. Of course, anypercentage of the adapter plates 92 may be orient right and left giventhe routing requirements.

The adapter plate 92 includes a plurality of openings 108 formed in themounting surface 106. FIG. 11A shows three openings 108 for receivingduplex adapters, each carrying two fibers. Of course, the openings 108may have different shapes and sizes depending upon the particularadapters to be mounted therein. On the rear of the mounting surface,cylindrical posts 110 are formed that provide multiple benefits whenmounting adapters to the adapter plate 92. In conventional systems, themethod for securing a fiber adapter is via the use of 2 screws fedthrough clearance holes in the adapter flanges and threaded into 2tapped holes in the mounting surface. The cylindrical posts 110eliminate the need for screws and costly tapped holes. The post 110 issized so that it fits through a hole formed in the flange of an adapterand the post length is greater than the flange thickness. Once theadapter is installed against the mounting surface 106, with the posts110 through the holes in the adapter flange, the tops of the posts 110are mechanically swaged over to effect retention of the adapter to themounting surface 106. The time to install the adapter to the adapterplate 92 is reduced and cost is reduced by the elimination of screws andtapped holes. The posts 110 may be used with a variety of adapters, andis particularly useful for adapters that do not include mounting clips.

Certain adapters include a metal mounting clip which is designed tomount the adapter to a panel opening. These adapters, however, have atendency to rock within the panel opening. The posts 110 serve toeliminate or greatly reduce the rocking action of the clips caused byclearance between the clip and the panel. The posts 110, once within theholes in the flange of the adapter, limit the adapter rocking because ofrestriction provided by the presence and fit of the posts 110. It isunderstood that the posts 110 may be other than cylindrically shaped, aslong as the posts 110 fit through flange holes in the adapter.

The adapter plate 92 also includes recessed pockets 112, integral to theadapter plate 92, that accommodate snap-fit, removable, color-codedtabs. Theses tabs are standardized and are available in a variety ofcolors and include an icon on one or both sides (such as phone,computer, etc.). The recessed pockets 112 enable full color codingand/or function identification for each port on a 6-port adapter plate92.

Although FIG. 11A shows openings 108 accommodate 3 duplex adapters or 6fiber ports. In an alternative embodiment, the adapter plate 92 holds 6duplex adapters for a total of 12 fiber ports. The adapter plate bracket28 can hold 12 adapter plates 92 and thus the total density for thecable distribution enclosure 10 is 144 fibers. The cable distributionenclosure of the present invention provides a high density cabledistribution enclosure. The sliding tray allows access to the front orback of an adapter plate bracket where a plurality of adapter plates aremounted. The adapter plates have a latching mechanism on each end thatallows for easy installation to and removal from the adapter platebracket. An angled mounting surface on the adapter plate reduces thebend needed to route the fiber out of the cable distribution enclosure.

As described above, to reduce the possibility of microbending of thefibers, grommets are used in the openings of the cable distributionenclosure to reduce exposure of the fibers to sharp edges. It isdesirable that the cable access openings are accessible from the frontof enclosure (i.e., cables can be installed from the front) and that thecables be contained within panel openings once installed. At the sametime, the cables must be able to slide easily out of these accessopenings 22 when the sliding tray 26 is slid forward. For a cabledistribution enclosure to optimize access to the connections within,especially in high-density applications (such as 144-ports), the abilityto slide the sliding tray 26 and adapter plate bracket 28 to a positionthat is close to flush with the front of cable distribution enclosuregreatly facilitates being able to get at the connections in the adapterplate 92. When the sliding tray 26 is slid forward, the cables in thefront opening 22 must move forward as well. To effect cable containmentand the need for cables to move forward when the sliding tray 26 ismoved forward, a rotatable grommet is necessary.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a rotatable grommet, shown generally at 200,that rotates in one direction to enable the cables to be slid into orout of the panel openings 22 and rotates in the other direction tocontain the cables within the panel opening 22. The rotatable grommet200 has a flange 202 that contacts the outside of the panel opening 22.A wall 204 extends away from the flange 202. The wall 204 has anexterior surface 206 which forms a right angle with the bottom of flange202. Integral with the flange 202 is a handle 208 including a pair ofhandle protrusions 210 that extend away from and perpendicular to theplane of the handle 208. The handle protrusions 210 allow the user toeasily rotate the rotatable grommet 200. The handle protrusions 210 havea curved cross section to comfortably accommodate the operator'sfingers. The length of the handle 208 and the placement of the handleprotrusions 210 are designed to comfortably accommodate a finger-thumbgrip. The handle 208 extends along the periphery of the flange beyondthe two latches 212 in order to prevent the application of a forcemoment that would increase friction between the rotatable grommet 200and the opening 22. The positioning of the handle 208 directly oppositethe rotatable grommet opening 218 also prevents the ends of therotatable grommet 200 from pulling away from the surface of the cabledistribution enclosure.

FIG. 13 is a top view of the rotatable grommet 200 shown in FIG. 12.Formed within wall 204 are flexible latches 212. The latches 212 includea step 214 that frictionally engages the opening 22 in the cabledistribution enclosure. The details of the latch 212 are described withreference to FIG. 20. A post 216 extends away from and perpendicular tothe bottom surface of the handle 208. The post 216 engages a slot formedadjacent to the opening 22 to provide a stop that controls the amount ofrotation in either direction. The details of the interaction between thepost 216 and the slot in the panel is described below with reference toFIG. 21. FIG. 15 is a side view of the rotatable grommet of FIG. 12.FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the rotatable grommet in FIG. 12taken along line 14--14. The rotatable grommet 200 includes anapproximately 60°-wide "slot" or grommet opening 218 in thecircumference of the rotatable grommet 200 to form a C-shaped rotatablegrommet. The grommet opening 218 enables a group of cables to slide outof the corresponding approximately 60°-wide access area 260 (shown inFIG. 21) in the panel opening 22 and to enable rotation of the rotatablegrommet 200 to a position that closes off the access area 260 so as tocontain the cables within the panel opening 22.

As shown in FIGS. 16-18, the rotatable grommet 200 has tip guides 220formed at the rotatable grommet ends separated by the rotatable grommetopening 218. As the rotatable grommet 200 is rotated from open-to-closedor closed-to-open positions, the tips at each end of the "C" must passthe edge of opening 22 formed in the cable distribution enclosure. Thetip guides 220 prevent the tips of the rotatable grommet 200 fromstraying away from the opening 22. Rotatable grommet 200 also includesretention channels 221 at tip guides 220 which assist to retain grommet200 on the panel. This maintains the bottom of the flange 202 in a flushcontact with the surface of the cable distribution enclosure andprevents forces that may pry the entire rotatable grommet 200 away fromthe cable distribution enclosure and out of the opening 22. The guidetips 220 have a generally rectangular surface including a chamferedleading edge 222 (as shown in FIG. 19) which facilitates engagement ofthe guide tips 220 onto the cable distribution enclosure wall. Thechamfered edge 222 is placed towards the grommet opening 218.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the rotatable grommet 200. The guidetips 220 are formed on the outer surface of the wall 204 and arepositioned near the bottom of the wall 204. The guide tips 220 arepositioned near the ends of the C-shaped rotatable grommet 200 atgrommet opening 218. As described above, the guide tips 220 includechamfered edges 222 that ease the placement of the guide tip 220 underthe surface of the cable distribution enclosure wall and the bottom offlange 202 on the top of the cable distribution enclosure wall. Thisprevents the rotatable grommet 200 from becoming inadvertently detachedfrom the cable distribution enclosure as the rotatable grommet 200 isrotated in the opening 22.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the rotatable grommet 200 showing thelatches 212. The grommet latches 40 shown in FIGS. 5A-5E are designedfor containment only; i.e., the latches 40 are depressed as the grommet24 is inserted into opening 22 in the cable distribution enclosure andsubsequently expand back to their original position when the top of thelatch 40 passes through the other side of the cable distributionenclosure wall. The grommet 24 is contained but freely rotating withinthe opening 22.

The latches 212 shown in FIG. 20 include a step 214 which exertsfrictional force on the edge of opening 22 so as to effect rotationalresistance. The latch 212 is generally wedge shaped, with the step 214being formed at the widest part of the wedge. The step 214 includes afirst step face 215 and a second step face 217. The first step face 215contacts the bottom surface of the area adjacent to the panel opening22. The interference between the first step face 215 and the panelcontains the rotatable grommet 200 in the opening 22. The second stepface 217 contacts the edge of the opening 22. The frictional forcebetween the second step face 217 and the edge of the opening 22 preventsthe rotatable grommet 200 from easily rotating.

Each latch 212 is formed in an opening 226 in the wall 204. The latchhas a first end 228 that is connected to the wall 204. A second latchend 230 flexes within the opening 226. The rotatable grommet 200 is madefrom a resilient material, such as plastic. As the rotatable grommet 200is inserted into the opening 22, the latch 212 is pushed towards thewall 204 by the contact of angled face 232 with the opening 22. Once theangled face 232 has cleared the opening 22, the latch 212 flexes awayfrom the wall 204 and the second face 217 of step 214 contacts the edgeof opening 22. Due to the frictional force exerted by the step 214, therotatable grommet 200 is able to rotate, but not freely.

The amount of frictional force exerted by the step 214 can be varied byaltering the dimensions of the step 214. The step 214 is dimensionedsuch that the radial distance from the center of the rotatable grommet200 to the outside of the second step face 217 is larger than thecorresponding radial distance from the center of the rotatable grommet200 to the perimeter of the opening 22 in the cable distributionenclosure. Therefore, friction is established between the rotatablegrommet latch 212 and the opening 22, the amount of which can be variedby increasing or decreasing the radial distance to the second step face217. This frictional force enables the rotatable grommet 200 to remainin any position including open, closed, or anywhere in between.

FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the rotatable grommet 200positioned above a panel 250. The panel 250 includes an arched slot 252for limiting the rotation of the rotatable grommet 200. The post 216,shown in FIG. 20, is placed within the slot 252. The slot 252 follows anarc having a radius corresponding to the post's radial location. Thepost 216 includes a tapered end 224 (shown in FIG. 20) to aid in placingthe post 216 in the slot 252. When rotatable grommet 200 is rotated suchthat the post 216 contacts one end of the slot 252, the access area 260to the opening 22 is closed. When rotatable grommet 200 is rotated allthe way to the other end of the slot 252, the grommet opening 218 isaligned with the access area 260 and the opening 22 is open. Theinteraction between the post 216 and the slot 252 facilitates locatingthe optimum rotational position of rotatable grommet 200 whichrepresents both the "open" and "closed" rotations. The rotatable grommet200 is universal in that it will fit into openings 22 formed on eitherthe left or right hand sides of the cable distribution enclosure. Ifgrommet rotation is not desired (for example, in situations where thecables do not need to slide in and out of opening 22), the slot 252 bereplaced with a hole 254 as shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the cable distribution enclosure 10including a rotatable grommet 200. The rotatable grommet 200 is in theopen position. This allows cables in the opening 22 to slide out of theopening 22 when the sliding tray is pulled forward. When the cabledistribution enclosure is closed, the sliding tray is slid back to thecenter position, the cables are placed within opening 22, and therotatable grommet 200 is rotated to the closed position. FIG. 24 is aperspective view of the cable distribution enclosure 10 including therotatable grommet 200 in the closed position. The closed positioncontains the cables and prevents the cables from becoming inadvertentlyremoved from the opening 22.

The rotatable grommet of the present invention retains cables when inthe closed position and allows the cables to slide out of an openingwhen in the open position. Although the rotatable grommet has beendescribed for use with a cable distribution enclosure, it is understoodthat the rotatable grommet could be used in any panel where it isdesirable to have the ability to rotate the grommet to an open or closedposition. Therefore, the utility of the rotatable grommet should not belimited to cable distribution enclosures.

While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, variousmodifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to beunderstood that the present invention has been described by way ofillustration and not limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rotatable grommet for opening or closing apanel opening having an access area formed in a panel, the rotatablegrommet comprising:a flange having a bottom surface for contacting asurface of the panel; a wall extending away from said flange forcovering at least part of an edge of the panel opening; at least onelatch positioned in said wall, said latch including a step forfrictionally engaging the edge of the panel opening; and rotatablegrommet ends separated by a rotatable grommet opening formed in saidflange and said wall, said rotatable grommet opening being aligned withthe access area to open the panel opening or misaligned with the accessarea to close the panel opening.
 2. The rotatable grommet of claim 1wherein said latch is wedge shaped, said latch having a first endconnected to said wall and a second end having said step formed therein.3. The rotatable grommet of claim 2 wherein said step comprises a firststep face for contacting an area adjacent to the panel opening and asecond step face for contacting the edge of the panel opening.
 4. Therotatable grommet of claim 1 wherein said wall comprises a pair of guidetips, one guide tip being positioned at each rotatable grommet end. 5.The rotatable grommet of claim 4 wherein each of said guide tipscomprises a chamfered edge facing said rotatable grommet opening.
 6. Therotatable grommet of claim 1 wherein said rotatable grommet furthercomprises a post for engaging an arched slot disposed on the panel. 7.The rotatable grommet of claim 6 wherein said post contacts the archedslot at a first end of the arched slot at an aligned position with saidrotatable grommet opening being aligned with the access area, and saidpost contacts the arched slot at a second end of the arched slot at anunaligned position with said rotatable grommet opening being misalignedwith the access area.
 8. A rotatable grommet for opening or closing apanel opening having an access area form in a panel, the rotatablegrommet comprising:a flange having a bottom for contacting a surface ofthe panel; a wall extending away from the flange for covering at leastpart of an edge of the panel opening; at least one latch positioned insaid wall, said latch including a step for frictionally engaging theedge of the panel opening; rotatable grommet ends separated by arotatable grommet opening formed in said flange and said wall, saidrotatable grommet opening being aligned with the access area to open thepanel opening or misaligned with the access area to close the panelopening; and a handle extending away from said flange.
 9. The rotatablegrommet of claim 8 wherein said handle comprises at least one handleprotrusion perpendicular to said handle.
 10. The rotatable grommet ofclaim 9 wherein said handle protrusions are arched.
 11. The rotatablegrommet of claim 8 wherein said rotatable grommet comprises two latchesand said handle extends along a periphery of said flange beyond both ofsaid latches.
 12. The rotatable grommet of claim 8, wherein saidrotatable grommet is C-shaped.
 13. The rotatable grommet of claim 8,wherein said flange includes a channel for engaging the panel.
 14. Arotatable grommet for opening or closing a panel opening having anaccess area formed in a panel, the rotatable grommet comprising:a flangehaving a bottom surface for contacting a surface of the panel; a wallextending away from said flange for covering at least part of an edge ofthe panel opening; at least one latch positioned in said wall, saidlatch including a step for frictionally engaging the edge of theopening; a handle integral with said flange and extending away from saidflange, said handle including a pair of arched handle protrusionsperpendicular to said handle; and rotatable grommet ends separated by arotatable grommet opening formed in said flange and said wall, saidrotatable grommet opening being aligned with the access area to open thepanel opening or misaligned with the access area to close the panelopening; wherein said wall comprises a pair of guide tips, one guide tipbeing positioned at each rotatable grommet end, said guide tipsincluding a chamfered edge facing said rotatable grommet opening.
 15. Apanel having a rotatable grommet for opening or closing a panel openinghaving an access area formed in the panel, the rotatable grommetcomprising:a flange; a wall extending away from the flange for coveringat least part of an edge of the panel opening; rotatable grommet endsseparated by a rotatable grommet opening formed in said flange and saidwall, said rotatable grommet opening being aligned with the access areato open the panel opening or misaligned with the access area to closethe panel opening; and a post extending from said flange; wherein thepanel includes an arched slot for receiving said post.